


stay low

by movements



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Tags added as it goes, aka they’re in their 30 year old bodies, apocalypse averted AU, no incest as usual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-10-27 22:55:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20768309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/movements/pseuds/movements
Summary: ‘This isn’t your fault, Klaus.’ Ben would’ve said. Klaus wishes he could hear it come from his mouth, through his voice. But he’s too far gone. All tuned out by a little white pill. One he hadn’t intended on taking.-klaus’ sobriety is broken. it isn’t his fault.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> please read the tags!!
> 
> this isn’t explicit but it’s mature so read tags as they’re updated. there’s no explicit depictions of sexual assault but it is discussed/implied/referenced.
> 
> this is also after the apocalypse when they’re adults bc no underage for this topic. Ben’s alive now bc time travel

_ This isn’t your fault. _

Klaus repeats the phrase like a mantra in his mind, the singular thought desperately trying to wade through the thick mud that fills his brain. There isn’t much that’s reaching any significant level of comprehension in his state. 

It’s the first time in weeks that he’s sunk into that familiar feeling, the one that dips his mind into warm jello, thick and heavy across his limbs. Not long ago, Klaus would’ve craved this sensation, _ basked _ in it.

He had been doing so good. 

‘This isn’t your fault, Klaus.’ Ben would’ve said. He wishes he could hear it come from his mouth, through his voice. But he’s too far gone. All tuned out by a little white pill. One he hadn’t intended on taking.

His feet drag up the front porch. Consciousness was still seeping through his limbs, and his faulty coordination almost sent him tripping over the concrete. He catches himself, however, and nauseousness knocks into his skull in a wave as his bruised feet try to find their balance. The worn stilettos aren’t helping his case much. His body sways towards the door, pressing up against it, and letting his full weight sink against the wood. He can stay like this for a moment.

He’ll tell… Ben, first. Ben will help. He’ll understand. It’s all just a misunderstanding ‘sall. Yeah. Right now Klaus just needs to get into the house.

The door opens. He can’t remember whether he knocked or not. Maybe he was talking out loud and someone heard. Oh. Someone’s looking at him. Vanya. Hello Vanya. 

‘Klaus?’

Is she mad? He can’t tell. Analyzing her tone requires brain power, something of which Klaus can’t afford at the moment. Everything is dipped in syrup, thick and gooey but lacking the sweetness.

‘Hello Vanya.’ He attempts a shaky grin. Her face breaks a little more and he wonders where he went wrong. He might cry. He might already be crying.

‘You said that already.’ 

He opens his mouth to respond, but his delayed lips are not quick enough. 

‘I thought you were better than this.’

Klaus thinks that’s a little out of character for Vanya, which makes some sense when he realizes it’s Luther. He doesn’t attempt to respond this time either, because everything is still sticky and confusing and he’s being put in a pretty awkward situation here. He doesn’t have the time or energy for this. He needs… sleep. Sleep and Ben.

Ben’s probably enjoying his sleep. Klaus isn’t 100% sure on the time, but it _ looks _ late. He’s happy that Ben is alive.

He blinks for what feels like a moment, and when his eyes reopen there’s four of them. Four siblings all staring at him with wide eyes and disappointed brows. They were all suddenly crowded in… someone’s room and Klaus doesn’t remember actually getting there.

Allison is looking down. ‘Klaus, why? You were doing so well. We were so proud. _ Dave _ would be so proud.’

That rips something out of Klaus, raw and strangled and sorrowful. Dave. _ Dave _. The ache in his body flares up, and he might just vomit right here. He’s going to pass out. 

He begins, slowly. ‘Just- water. I-‘

‘Bullshit, Klaus. You know it, we know it.’ Klaus is cut off once again, and _ that’s _ annoying, but hey, what else is new. ‘You can barely stand. Don’t tell me you just drank _ water _all night.’

The water was more of a request, Klaus thinks, but they don’t want to hear that. He sighs weakly. Can’t they save this for the morning? His head is absolutely pounding. There’s an ache in his thighs and his shoulders and really, everywhere.

Luther sighs heavily. ‘No we can’t. In the morning, you’ll be too hungover to remember this conversation. Let alone your circumstances.’

Klaus ponders for a moment. Can he even remember the circumstances _ now _? Everything’s hazy. The only clue of his night is the throb of pain in between his legs, which is enough for him to know exactly what happened. 

Everything trickles back to him. Klaus doesn’t want to ponder this. He already knows. He needs to sit down, if he doesn’t pass out beforehand. He stumbles back onto the couch, mind reeling. His lips open and close, gasping for air or comprehension or _ something _. This is too much.

He wants to say something, but there isn’t much he can say before his family loses their patience. He’ll always be a lost cause in their eyes. Everyone except to Ben. Why isn’t he here?

_ ‘Ben _.’ He grapples out, and it’s a cry for help, really. Desperation cracks around the edges but he can’t feel embarrassed because Ben will understand. Ben knows.

Someone groans. ‘He's not your babysitter, Klaus. Let him take a break from your problems for _ once _ . If you’ve let _ us _ down, then you’ve let him down more.’ Klaus lets them finish, mouth unable to form any sort of retaliation. 

‘People like you never change.’ Luther says simply, and Klaus can hear the layers of resentment and disgust hidden under the surface.

Diego stalks towards his direction, sitting down next to Klaus. His brow is furrowed, like he’s attempting to understand. Unlike Luther. ‘What did you take, Klaus?’

His mind searches for what the pill looked like. The predicament is that he never _ actually _ took something.

Klaus comes up with whatever answer will leave them satisfied. ‘I don't know.’ Good. Can he go to sleep now? He waves a hand in the air dismissively. 

There’s a hand being placed on his shoulder, and he flinches so violently that Allison flinches back too. It was fine, it was just Allison.

‘He probably just took some sort of depressant.’ She says, still sounding a little shaken from his reaction. ‘He’s more out of it than usual.’

The sentences in his mind are slipping in and out, and so is everyone else’s. His eyes are slipping closed. He can sleep on the couch. 

Luther grumbles something under his breath that Klaus can’t catch. 

Diego is still talking to him too, apparently. ‘Why? Why would you do this? Are we not doing enough?’ His words lacked the usual malice, but Klaus was starting to miss it compared to his disappointed voice.

‘I didn’t…’ Klaus begins, but interrupts himself with a feeble groan. Diego’s hand came to rest on his shoulder, and it intensifies the ache that stretched down his neck and chest, pooling around his thighs. Bruises are littered up his arms and around his wrists. He mewls in pain at the contact.

Ben. Where is Ben?

‘W-wait.’ Diego freezes. He was thinking, Klaus can tell, because of the furrow of his brow paired with that familiar stutter. His eyes were fixed on the blooms of purple that dotted his skin.

The rest of the group seemed to catch onto Diego’s focus.

‘I think he’s hurt.’

A scoff brushes past Luther’s lips. ‘God, Diego, have you ever met Klaus? He probably just got knocked up a little.’ 

The insignificant, deflecting part of Klaus mind swells in pride a little at the fact that Luther knows what that phrase means. He probably learned it from him, after all.

Vanya squeaks. ‘He has a fair point…’ Her words are unsure. She still isn’t used to being a component in conversations. 

‘Ben-‘

‘Oh my _ god _.’ 

And there’s Ben. 

Luther seethes. ‘I thought I told you to stay upstairs.’ He takes a step towards the stairway that he’s descending from, still in his uniform pajamas.

Ben ignores Luther, making his way to Klaus. His consciousness is starting to drift away.

‘He gives him a dazed grin, his head rolling to the side and his eyes slipping closed. He can hear distantly their conversation.

Allison steps up, trying her hand at her signature compassion. ‘As you can probably see, he’s high. I’m sorry Ben. I know th-‘

He can feel a hand hovering over his skin, and only moments later, Ben knows. Leave it to Ben to know what’s happened. He’s seen this before.

‘He was _ drugged _.’

Silence befalls the room in that uncomfortable way that Klaus just _ knows _everyone is staring at him.

And with that, he’s out.

-

  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> flashback from bens pov

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me if I need to update any tags

_ 8 years earlier _

“Where are we going?” Ben asked quietly, interrupting the long interlude of silence that came to fill the air.

Klaus stuttered in his step, the bruises blooming across his skin contributing to a bit of a limp. He didn’t look like he was going to answer, opting to pretend Ben didn’t exist tonight. It was his go-to defense mechanism after facing some traumatic event, refusing pity or any healthy outlets from the only person who’d listen.

Ben sighed. “We should go home, Klaus.” He suggested softly. He had to be fragile with Klaus after things like this.

If the twitch in his eye said anything, it probably was that he wasn’t planning on going home. He maintained eye contact with some undefinable point in front of him down the dark streets.

As frustrating as it was, Ben couldn’t give up so easily on persuading Klaus. All he could do was continue to gently pester him until his suggestions began taking hold in Klaus’ subconscious. He was too goddamn stubborn to take advice from Ben. Or maybe it was just a result of shock, his mind sinking through a layer of impenetrable numbness. It could’ve been the pill slipped into his drink, too.

Ben couldn’t afford to think about what he’d seen. He would quickly end up getting obsessed, replaying it over and over in his head until he was scarred and too broken to be of any real help. Obsessed with the  _ what-ifs _ . ‘What-ifs’ that he had no influence over, because Ben was dead, and dead people can’t prevent  _ shit _ .

So he would what he always did. He just needed to compartmentalize for Klaus’ sake, to replace the voice of logic that had been burned out of his brother’s brain by years of drug abuse. And as much as Ben wanted to sob and sulk and fill himself with vengeance and bitterness for Klaus, he couldn’t. He desperately  _ wanted _ to be his shoulder to cry on, and he needed to get Klaus somewhere safe to do that.

It took twenty minutes of stumbling down the empty streets to realize where Klaus was headed toward. It was a particularly rough neighborhood, where his last boyfriend had lived. The same one that had landed him in the hospital more than once.

“You shouldn’t go back, Klaus.” Ben said firmly, understanding that if he pushed the topic too hard, Klaus would only grow more headstrong about it. ‘You should really… you need to go to the police station.’

Klaus tensed at the mere words, followed by a grimace of rubbing some bruise the wrong way.

“I- I can’t, Ben.” He croaked, and it was the first thing he’d said since the incident. At least he was acknowledging his existence now. It was progress, if anything.

“Yes. You can. And you should.”

That elicited no response from Klaus, which was about as expected.

“Just- don’t go back to his house, please? Not there.” Ben stressed. Klaus made a weak noise, before slowing his pace.

“‘Kay.”

He swayed, turning his trajectory to lean against the nearest alley wall. Klaus stayed like that for a moment, before digging into his pockets for exactly what Ben expected.

Klaus face went blank. “He didn’t pay me.” 

Ben didn’t know how to respond, so he stayed quiet, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

“Christ. Fucking  _ hell _ , Ben. What the fuck am I gonna do?” Klaus whipped his head towards Ben, voice frantic and wrecked, tears beginning to prick at his eyes once again.

There wasn’t much he could do or say. “Klaus…” He trailed off. 

_ “Fuck _ .” Klaus repeated, voice breaking off at the end. 

His bruised skin slid down the wall, dissolving into a hunched ball against the dark alley.

_ “Jesus _ , Ben, it hurts so bad.”

Ben couldn’t really offer any comfort. He couldn’t say things would get better because they rarely did, and it felt cruel. There was nowhere for Klaus to return, nowhere for him to heal and process. So he just offered an understanding nod.

He was about to continue with a gentle suggestion, but the sound of footsteps broke his attention. His muscles instinctively tensed, worried someone could take further advantage of Klaus in his state.

A silhouette appeared, small and muddled in the dark alleyway. He could yell at Klaus to scream and run, to get far away into somewhere public so he didn’t have to go through anything more tonight.

As the figure approached, however, he could identify the gleam of a badge on the chest. Relief immediately flooded Ben, because if Klaus wasn’t going to go to the police station, they could come to him. He hoped Klaus still had some weed on him, maybe he could get into a holding cell for the night. If he was feeling ambitious, maybe convince Klaus to file a report with the station.

“Sir?” The police called out, now only 20 feet away.

Klaus flinched at the voice, flashing a face at Ben, angry that he hadn’t warned him of the I welcomed presence.  _ You were supposed to be the lookout. _

The officer approached slowly. “Are you okay, sir?”

Two hands, however, had come up around Klaus’ ears in protest.  _ Real mature, dumbass. _

“We got a call for a suspected assault in this area? Do you know anything about that?”

Despite his supposed inability to hear, Klaus tensed with the woman’s words. Ben just needed him to cooperate,  _ please cooperate _ .

‘I’m fine.’ Klaus replied simply.

Ben could identify the tinge of concern in his eyes. He continued, ‘I’m Officer Patch. Can you tell me your name?’

_ If Klaus can even remember his own name. _

‘No siree.’ He raised his hands, palms forward, in the air.

Patch clicked her pen, and like everyone, Ben was assuming her patience with Klaus was getting short. She only stopped clicking when her eyes caught the tattoos on each hand, eyes widening.

Klaus hadn’t noticed, however. “Am I free to go,  _ Officer _ ?”

She looked him over with wary eyes before clicking her pen one last time. “Why don't we have a chat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading
> 
> feedback is appreciated

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t hate luther and he’ll be redeemed later but I just needed someone to be negative for plot. I’m sorry!!
> 
> let me know what you thought!!


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